This invention relates generally to self-contained disposable devices for use in testing body fluid specimens for the presence of one or more foreign substances or for the presence of a normally occurring substance in an abnormal concentration. In one embodiment of the invention the device is in the form of a liner for a closure cap to be applied to a container in which a body fluid specimen has been collected. Preferably, the testing device in the form of a cap liner provides a liquid-tight seal between the closure cap and the container so that when the container is inverted with a liquid body fluid specimen on the inside there will be no leakage. In another form of the invention the device is paddle-shaped so that it can be either dipped into a body fluid specimen collected in an open container or inserted into a stream of the specimen, with a test strip mounted in the device becoming wet with the fluid specimen.
Routinely, in doctors"" offices, clinics, hospitals, places of employment, persons are required to introduce urine specimens into small open cups or containers for subsequent testing by technicians, nurses or other health-care personnel. Reagent strips or wicks are widely available and commonly used to test the urine specimens for the presence of various substances including glucose, bilirubin, ketone, blood, protein, urobilinogen, nitrite, and leukocytes as well as for specific gravity and pH. Such reagent strips usually consist of a wick or strip of material along the length of which color changing reagents are located in spaced relationship. As currently used, the person doing the testing wets the various test reagents with a urine specimen and then waits for color or appearance changes to take place and thereupon xe2x80x9creadsxe2x80x9d the reagent strip and notes the test results. In addition to testing body fluids such as urine for naturally occurring substances as in abnormal concentration, urine testing has become increasingly used to test for drugs and various controlled substances. For example, new job applicants are routinely tested for the presence of drugs in the urine and employees in critical jobs such as airline pilots, police, members of the defense establishment etc. are routinely screened for the presence of drugs or controlled substances in the urine.
Because of the increased frequency and wider need for testing urine and other body fluids such as blood, there is an increased demand and need for inexpensive testing devices that lend themselves to simplified testing procedures carried out by persons not highly trained or skilled, including laymen capable of following simple written instructions.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention, generally stated, is the provision of self-contained disposable devices for testing urine and other body fluids which are economical to produce, easy to use with good results and adaptable to a wide variety of testing requirements.
For a complete understanding of the nature and scope of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: